Vehicles, such as automobiles and aircraft, often provide entertainment systems to satisfy passenger demand for entertainment during travel.
Conventional passenger entertainment systems include overhead cabin viewing systems and/or seatback viewing systems with individual controls for selecting viewing content. The viewing content typically includes entertainment content, such as audio and/or video materials, and can be derived from a variety of content sources. For instance, prerecorded viewing content, such as motion pictures and music, can be provided by internal content sources, such as audio and video systems, that are installed within the vehicle. External content sources likewise can transmit viewing content, including satellite television programming or satellite radio programming, to the vehicle via wireless communication systems.
Conventional passenger entertainment systems, however, suffer from numerous disadvantages. Some passengers therefore find the passenger entertainment systems to be complicated to operate and the viewing content difficult to enjoy. Selection of the viewing content, for example, can prove difficult due to the awkward placement and operation of the user controls. Similarly, the viewing systems are distally located, such as overhead and/or on an opposing seatback, and typically are not adjacent to the user controls. Also, some or all of the passengers will be inhibited from enjoying the viewing content if one or more viewing systems fails. Such system shortcomings are a frequent source of passenger complaints.
Passenger demand for entertainment likewise is continually evolving. Not only do passengers want to access the most current viewing content, such live television programming and the latest games, but they also require a more extensive selection of entertainment products and services, such as Internet access and in-transit shopping, to be available. Conventional passenger entertainment systems, however, are limited by their fixed hardware technology and cannot easily be adapted to accommodate changing passenger entertainment needs during travel.
In view of the foregoing, a need exists for an improved passenger entertainment system that overcomes the aforementioned obstacles and deficiencies of currently-available passenger entertainment systems.